Travel

All over the map

Events near and far

Sheboygan: Sheboygan Children's Book Festival. Give yourself and your child the present of a weekend of books at this festival held Friday through next Sunday. Authors and illustrators including James Kennedy, Steven Kellogg and Liz Garton Scanlon will give readings, sign books, discuss writing and invite participants to do some writing of their own. Also this year, children are invited to take part in the "90-Second Newbery Video Challenge." All of the events are free, first come first seated, and last 45 minutes to an hour. They take place at various locations in town with many taking place at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, 608 New York Ave., or the Mead Public Library, 710 N. 8th St. Check the schedule at www.sheboyganchildrensbookfestival.org.

Southern Kettle Moraine: Kettle Moraine Studio Tour. Exit I-94 and head south on Highways 83 or 67 and visitors to the Palmyra/Eagle area will find themselves in a bucolic countryside. They'll also find themselves close to a number of artists' studios that will be open for touring from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and next Sunday. Six studios will be open and most will also have guest artists displaying their work, everything from photography to sculpture to jewelry. Check out www.kettlemorainestudiotour.com for artists, studios and maps.

Waterford: Waterford Fall Harvest Festival. Visitors to this festival can take the complimentary trolley between Whiteford and Ten Club parks, where the activities take place. Or they can take a canoe. Either mode of transportation will work to get them from the chili cook-off and pumpkin pie-eating contest to the crafts fair, or any of the other activities planned from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Sunday. The children will be kept busy with face-painting, pumpkin-painting or scarecrow-making fun. See www.waterford-wi-org for details.

Wisconsin Dells: Autumn Harvest Fest and "Dells on Tap." Wisconsin Dells will have activities for visitors of all ages Saturday and next Sunday during this fall festival. Families might want to indulge in a pony ride or hayride, check out the craft show or take part in the scarecrow-stuffing contest. There will be live music and performances by jugglers, clowns and cloggers to enjoy. Many of the events are free. The hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. next Sunday. Legal-age fest-goers on Saturday might want to take in "Dells on Tap." More than 25 craft brewers will have their libations available for tasting. VIP admission ($60 at the gate or $55 in advance) is noon; general admission ($35 at the gate and $30 in advance) is 1 p.m. See www.wisdells.com for details and tickets.

Hancock: 14th Annual Fall Color Hike and Dog Walk. Pack up the pup and the rest of the family and head to Waushara County, the Hancock exit of Highway 39, on Saturday and join this hike on the Deerfield segment of the Ice Age Trail. It's a four-mile hike planned for 1 to 4 p.m. It costs $5 a person or $10 per family (dogs join in for free) and includes snacks for everyone. It's just one of the organized hikes planned for next weekend around the state on the trail. For detailed directions and a listing of other hikes available, see www.iceagetrail.org.

Iowa: Northeast Iowa Artists' Studio Tour. This tour will be held Friday through next Sunday and tour-goers may need all three days to visit the 45 studios that will be open. Most are within about 30 miles of Decorah and include a leather artist making custom buffalo hide moccasins, a woodcarver specializing in gnomes and a basket-maker working in a log home without electricity. The hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. See www.iowaarttour.com.

Illinois: "Genius in the Synagogue: A Musical Portrait of Max Janowski." Max Janowski fled Nazi Germany and found a home in Chicago, where he wrote a new style of Jewish cantorial music as well as folk songs and spirituals. The Chicago a cappella celebrates Janowski's centenary with a performance of his works Saturday , next Sunday, Oct. 20 and 21 in Chicago, River Forest, Evanston and Naperville. See www.chicagoacappella.org for details and tickets.

Michigan: 44th Annual Charlevoix Apple Fest. Take your pick of more than 30 varieties of apples at this festival held Friday through next Sunday in downtown Charlevoix. The apple growers will bring their fruit there to market alongside food vendors selling chili, kielbasa and other treats known to go well with McIntosh and Honeycrisp. Though eating is the main event, there will also be activities to keep the children happy, a craft show and 5K and 10K races to help justify eating an extra apple. The hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Sunday. See www.charlevoix.org.